Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that he would be open to economic relations and talks with the United States under a Trump presidency, Iran International reported on Saturday.
Ahmadinjad had taken an anti-West stance during his presidency from 2005-2013, according to the report, indicating a serious turn around in prospective foreign policies for the Islamic regime. The change is more notable following Khameinei’s policies and ideological stance.
"What exactly does the policy of East versus West entail? It appears to be a construct of our imagination," Ahmadinejad said in an interview, the site reported. "The most significant economic relationship exists between China and the US."
"For how much longer do we desire to remain in conflict with the US?" He questioned. "Following the revolution, there was potential to resolve matters with the US, but certain individuals occupied the embassy, complicating matters."
The occupation refers to a 1979 hostage situation in which 66 Americans were kept captive for 444 days.
Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered for the snap presidential election slated for June 28.After registration, he told reporters that seeing the people’s economic problems convinced him to run. Ahmadinejad was barred from running in the 2017 and 2021… https://t.co/zJRiK6fzE1 pic.twitter.com/xk9BJTTrij
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 2, 2024
Why stronger ties between the US and Iran are far away.
While Ahmadinejad’s comments may have opened possibilities for a less hostile Iran, they reportedly came before he was disqualified from the upcoming elections by an unelected 12 member Guardian Council. He faced similar bans in 2017 and 2021.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad convened with a crowd of his supporters Thursday, staging a campaign-like event at Tehran’s Bazaar, a bustling hub of commercial activity. He has been barred from running for president twice in 2021 and 2016.https://t.co/1cI25DW2Ue pic.twitter.com/xAvwyRfzVj
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 6, 2024
After the 2017 disqualification, he reportedly became vocal in his criticism of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei - even going so far as to pay tribute to Iran’s former monarchy.
“They [The Pahlavi monarchy] contributed to the country even before the [Islamic] revolution took place,” he reportedly said. “While we may have reservations about certain methods they employed, they also aimed to address inflation and improve welfare during that period," he said.